Epigenetic Wellness Tests

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Epigenetic wellness tests measure chemical marks on DNA, usually DNA methylation in a blood or saliva sample, and report scores such as "biological age". They are not diagnostic tests. Do not change medicines, diet or supplements because of a score. If a result worries you, speak with a clinician. See talking with a health professional.

This page covers consumer testing. The evidence on aging clocks and their link to health outcomes belongs to the Longevity section: see biomarkers and biological age tests and epigenetic age tests: reading the claims.

Keep apart: field, mechanism, test, claim

• Field: epigenetics studies changes in DNA that do not alter the underlying sequence. [1]
• Mechanism: methylation and histone modification influence whether genes are on or off. [2]
• Test: a laboratory measurement of methylation at chosen sites, turned into a score by an algorithm.
• Claim: that the score tells you your "true" age or what to do. This needs separate evidence. A method existing is not the same as it being validated for personal use. See genetic testing vs epigenetic testing.

How reliable is the number?

Evidence label for individual-level reliability: mixed. Higgins-Chen and colleagues showed that technical noise produces deviations up to 9 years between replicates for six prominent epigenetic clocks, limiting their usefulness. A computational fix using principal components brought most replicates within 1.5 years. [3] That was a laboratory methods study of published clocks, not an evaluation of any specific consumer product. The takeaway is that a single reading may be noisy, and that methods differ between providers.

Further questions that the evidence summarised here does not answer: whether a consumer score predicts your own health, and whether lifestyle changes that move the score improve outcomes. A biomarker change is not a clinical outcome. See biomarkers vs clinical outcomes.

What epigenetic tests are not

• Not a measure of lifespan or a diagnosis. Proper evidence not found that a consumer methylation score should guide treatment; I checked FDA's DTC page and MedlinePlus.
• Not proof a supplement works. A product that "lowers" a score has not necessarily improved health. See longevity supplement blends and product claims.

Privacy

Your sample contains DNA. Ask the company whether you can delete data, whether it is shared or sold, and what happens if it changes ownership. [5] See genetic privacy and incidental findings.

Before you buy

• What exactly does the report claim, and does it cite published validation?
• Is a medical professional involved?
• What will you do differently with the result? If the answer is "buy something", be careful.